Crispy Crunchy Roasted Chickpeas

Crispy Crunchy Roasted Chickpeas – one bite is delightfully crispy with a slightly tender inside, the next bite gives a loud satisfying crunch, then fingers must be licked to get all the salty goodness off. Repeat. You’re welcome.

Crispy Crunchy Roasted Chickpeas are one of my all-time favourite easy salty snacks. There are many recipes for roasted chickpeas floating around but from my recipe testing, many of those recipes resulted in squishy, mushy, or burnt chickpeas, and not crispy crunchy. I’m ALL about the crispy crunchy.

After a lot of recipe testing, I discovered the key to crispy crunchy was to dry roast the chickpeas first so they have a chance to get crispy and then season them at the last minute. Boom! Works every time.

This recipe isn’t actually new to It Doesn’t Taste Like Chicken. I originally posted it a long, long time ago in my very first year of blogging way back in 2013. See the original ugly old picture ↑↑↑.

Back in the good ol’ days when I had zero knowledge of food photography and zero knowledge of recipe writing. I used a phone to take pictures, under regular kitchen lights on my kitchen floor. I had no measurements of any kind, and only gave a vague idea of what to actually do as “instructions”. My how things have changed. …I mean, well… I still take my pictures on my kitchen floor, but floor food is “professional”, right?

Have any of you been following along since then? Let me know in the comments.

But some of those old “recipes” are still my go-to’s, like this one, so it was time these chickpeas got a little facelift. (And by little, I mean some serious surgery to make this crusty old recipe into sparkling tempting deliciousness).

Ahhh there we go. So much better.

These little dudes aren’t just for snacking either, they also make for a super yummy crunchy salad topper. Crispy Crunchy Roasted Chickpeas are best eaten fresh, as they can get a little soft when stored, but don’t worry, I promise you will have no problem polishing them off immediately.

To make Crispy Crunchy Roasted Chickpeas: spread the chickpeas in a single layer on a baking sheet. It’s ok if they are still a bit wet, they will dry out in the oven. Bake 30 minutes, stopping to shake the pan every now and then.

Remove the chickpeas from the oven and carefully add the hot chickpeas to a bowl along with the olive oil, chili powder, thyme, and salt. Toss well to coat the chickpeas evenly.

Spread the seasoned chickpeas back onto the baking sheet and return to the oven for another 10 to 15 minutes until they are golden and crispy. Remove from the oven and let cool a bit before enjoying. You can snack on them still warm, or completely cooled.

The secret to getting them extra crispy is to dry roast them first, and then season them at the last minute. This is an easy to make, healthy, vegan, 5 ingredient snack that everyone will love.

Course: Salad, Snack

Cuisine: American, Canadian

Servings: 2

Calories: 65kcal

Author: Sam Turnbull • It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken

Ingredients

119oz canchickpeas,drained and rinsed

1tablespoon olive oil

3/4teaspoonchili powder

1/2teaspoondried thyme leaves

1/2teaspoonsalt

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 375F (190C).

Spread the chickpeas in a single layer on a baking sheet. It's ok if they are still a bit wet, they will dry out in the oven. Bake 30 minutes, stopping to shake the pan every now and then.

Remove the chickpeas from the oven and carefully add the hot chickpeas to a bowl along with the olive oil, chili powder, thyme, and salt. Toss well to coat the chickpeas evenly. Spread the seasoned chickpeas back onto the baking sheet and return to the oven for another 10 to 15 minutes until they are golden and crispy. Remove from the oven and let cool a bit before enjoying. You can snack on them still warm, or completely cooled.

Recipe Notes

Store in an air-tight container in the fridge for about a week. They may start to get a little soft and less crispy.

Wow! Delicious! I added what I thought was a goodly amount of seasoning, and found I needed quite a bit more. Did one batch with olive oil and pink salt, and another with cumin and cayenne. The kids LOVED them! Great way to add protein, and they think it’s simply a great snack!

Scrolled a long way down to add my 5 stars!! Wow, doesn’t really matter what flavor combo you decide on at the end, the trick is to bake first, then add oil and season. Thank you for this wonderful recipe!

I just made these and they’re really crunchy – not quite “corn nuts” crunchy, but almost! These are now going to be one of the things I make on a regular basis for appetizers for guests, to go along with the usual cheese/cracker/olive/charcuterie.

I would also note that I made these from dried beans, cooked in an instant pot. At under $0.20 an ounce for dried beans, this is a very affordable snack to make, and the instant pot does a great job of cooking them from dried to cooked in about 40 minutes total.

What about using fresh Chickpeas/Garbanzo Beans? I have a recipe to fry them for 30-45 minutes until they are golden brown, but I want something healthier with the same hard crunch. With the fresh chickpeas we cook them over night and then strain them for about 2-3 hours before frying them so they are dry. I think next time when I make them I’ll try to bake them after they have dried. We used fresh thinly sliced hobbanaros and serrano’s, a little minced garlic, and salt+pepper for flavor after they were done when they were still nice and hot. They are super yummy!!

Finally! I’ve been scouring the internet for roasted chick pea recipes, not for the recipes but to find out what state the peas should be in before starting. It’s as if recipe writers have no idea that chick peas are hard and dry in their natural state. You’d think cooking or buying them cooked or canned would be part of the recipe.

Amazing recipe, the dry roast first before the seasoning made a huge difference. Since trying your original recipe we’ve tried all sorts of variations but the favorite is using this as a substitute for a go to snack classic of wasabi peas. The chickpea is lower cal and most people that try them say they are at least as good if not better. Thanks again for the great recipe!

I made these for the first time tonight and they are AMAZING. I had to pack them away to keep from eating two can’s worth by myself. I cooked them on tin foil (to keep the pan clean) and parchment paper (so they were easy to get in the bowl for seasoning). Maybe because of this, I had to add about 15 minutes so they would get really crunchy. But boy are they crunchy. I seasoned with salt, a little garlic powder, and a tiny bit of cayenne. Next time I’ll definitely add a little paprika and maybe chili powder. I would love to try a sweet version if these. Maybe brown sugar and vanilla?

Hello, Sam! Just discovered your blog and I love it! Specially this roasted chickpeas recipe. I will give it a go and let you know how it goes, but I bet it is amazing as everyone in the comments is saying! I have a question, though. I’d love to make a batch in my meal prep day, but I’m not sure how long they will stay crunchy and fresh. How long maximum would you recommend to store them?

Hi Diana, your English is great! They will keep for a couple of days in an air-tight container. They may soften a bit the longer you keep them, so make sure they are extra-dry before removing them from the oven, and keep them away from any moisture. Enjoy!

Finally! Crunchy chickpeas to nosh on! I almost gave up on ever making my own crunchy chickpeas and was just going to resort in forking a lot of money for the little bags sold in stores. I’m so glad that I found your recipe and your tip on making it crunchy. Thank you!!! I’ve already made 3 double batches in a week!

SAM! This is the best recipe I have ever used and I am literally eating these as I type! 😀 Thank you so much for sharing your secret to getting that amazing crunch. I used a mixture of oil, splash of lemon juice and salt and pepper for my seasoning and it is just delicious! Healthy and oh so cheap (a can of Chickpeas costs under a dollar here in Australia- very cheap). The only downside to this is that I only purchased one can! 😛

Hey Sam! So, I’ve made these a few tunes now (all have been perfect) and now my neighbours are asking me to make them for them! Lady who lives next door asked me to make a ton for her housewarming thing tonight and bring them along- I am in the middle of making the biggest batch ever! So glad I found this recipe so thank you and a big thank you from my neighbours haha! Kinda regards

I use dry chickpeas for this and they work fine. You need to either soak them overnight or boil them for a couple minutes and let them sit in the hot water for an hour. From there just follow the instructions Sam gave. They come out great and no unnecessary salt and BPA’s from the canned variety

Hi! Love your website and cookbook. Question, I want to make these for a party, and I know you said they are best fresh, but do you think I could make them several hours in advance and they’d still be ok?? They will be served on the side of a vegan charcuterie spread. Thanks for your help! 🙂

I just made a batch of these chickpeas and they turned out perfectly! Crunchy and delicious. Glad to have a healthy new snack/salad topper. I did use my convection oven and set to 350 because that has worked well for me with other difficult to crisp recipes (apple chips, etc.). Thanks for a great recipe.

Love your website! I’m not vegan, but I got bit by the lone star tick and now I’m allergic to all mammalian meat, milk, cheese, and butter (poultry and fish are safe). I found your blog searching for vegan cheese recipes (the gooey mozz is now at the top of the list of favorites!).

Anyhoo, I miss my favorite snack – Snyder’s Honey Mustard and Onion Pretzel Pieces (they contain whey). I really miss the tangly, sweet and crunchy. So I decided to try making my own, and using roasted chickpeas rather than pretzels. I coated them in a mix of honey, dijon mustard, ground mustard, onion powder, garlic powder, and salt. They’re pretty wet after coating, so I reduced the oven temp and cooked them a little longer so they can dry out but not burn (still experimenting with this).

I made a batch yesterday, and they got soggy overnight. I returned them to a 300 degree oven for about 30 minutes, and they’re crunchy again.

I’ve been searching for a recipe to get me the crispiness and crunchiness of a fryer without the whole frying part 🙂 I just made these and they are already half gone. I fear by EOD I won’t have any left! They are insanely wonderful! I added them to a baby kale salad with lemon vinaigrette and grilled salmon and they were the perfect addition. I used used garlic instead of regular salt and added a couple dashes of smoky paprika as well 🙂 THANKS!

I love the idea of roasting the chickpeas plain first and skipping the whole “pat dry” step. I may experiment with doing the initial roasting on parchment or a silpat or aluminum foil to make it easy to get them into a bowl for the seasoning step.

How scrumptious! These little balls of wonder are fantastic. Stumbled across this recipe and they turned out fantastic. Made a few modifications–added a dash of Chipotle pepper and a few turns of black peppercorns, and drizzled apple cider vinegar over them while they coolled! I will be making these again for sure. May even sell them at our new restaurant.

Hi Sam, I have tried this recipe twice and for whatever reason my chickpeas are coming out slightly crispy on the outside & soft & mushy on the inside. I’ve tried increasing my initial bake time (before adding the seasoned olive oil) by 5-10 minutes; but with no luck. Any other suggestions?

Hi Jillian, they will be still a little soft in the middle but should be pretty crunchy on the outside. When you dry roast them they should be pretty crunchy at that point. It’s hard to say without being in the kitchen with you, perhaps your oven is running a little cold? It’s not uncommon. Sorry I can’t be more help!

I’ve never tried removing the skins but I think it should work well. Make sure you rinse the chickpeas really well before using them, most of the gassiness comes from the bean water. You can also try getting an enzyme such as Bean-zyme to help your body out until it gets more used to eating lots of beans.

I am not vegan and I discovered chickpeas late in life along with how good they are for one’s health…my goodness, I didn’t know what I was missing! And then I came across your recipe for dry roasting first and then seasoning and then popping back in the oven for a bit and I agree with you and everybody else… these are insanely crunchy and impossibly delicious! Thanks so much for sharing

Seasoning the chickpeas before the last 15 minutes in the oven is such a pro tip! If you want an amazing seasoning that nothing else I’ve tried even comes close to; 1 tbsp Frank’s Red Hot Sauce, 1 tbsp Worcestershire, then garlic powder, onion powder and Lowry’s seasoning salt to taste. Stick into a paste and then toss your chickpeas in this before putting back in the oven. Hope you enjoy!

Samantha, I LOVE that you mentioned using these on salad, clever girl! I miss croutons so much and these scrumptious little morsels will be even more satisfying since I know they are a healthier choice, hooray! I have been following you since the very beginning of IDTLC and I always smile when I see a new e-mail. I feel so proud and happy for you, you have come so far and nobody out there deserves success more than you do. Thanks for working so hard to keep all of us healthy, and just as importantly, SATISFIED. I have never tried a recipe of yours that wasn’t simple and delicious. Eating healthy is so much more enjoyable when you don’t feel like you are compromising or missing out! Keep it coming! I can’t get enough! Cheers to your success!

Tricia!! What a lovely comment, you are so sweet 🙂 Love that you smile when you see my emails, and even happier that you have enjoyed every recipe of mine that you have tried! Yes, the chickpeas are great on a salad as croutons, but in case you were interested I do have a bread crouton recipe in my cookbook as well. Thanks so much for your kind words, they put some extra pep in my step today. 😀

Yum! Soaked two pounds of dried chickpeas overnight and roasted half of them with the spices in the recipe and the other half with salt and smoked paprika. I had to up the second roast time to 18 minutes to get them all crunchy – 10-15 minutes was not enough in my oven. As soon as my husband gets home, these are going to be gone in a flash.

I’m assuming you mean if you don’t eat oil (since the recipe already contains oil). I would just skip adding the oil. You would want to take the chickpeas out sooner as they will get too dry, and you might want to use a bit of lemon juice or other liquid to help the spices stick. Enjoy!

Oh my god. I just made these and they are soo good. I made 3 cans and I don’t know if they’re going to last the week. I did change up the spices a little but great recipe/instructions. I did line the pans with foil, and I’m glad I did because cleaning the pan would have been rough. Great recipe, thanks for sharing! 🙂

Hi gracia, I’m not sure I understand the question, but I will do my best to answer it. You use cooked chickpeas, toss them with the seasoning, and then put them into oven. The oven dries them out so they get crunchy. Hope that helps!

Hi! Welcome to my blog! Did you try my recipe for the crunchy chickpeas? There are some other recipes out out there, but my technique of dry roasting them before adding oil and spices gets them crunchy every time!

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I'm Sam, welcome to my blog! Here you'll find my favourite fuss-free vegan recipes. You might be surprised to hear that the moment I decided I was going to go vegan, I was completely and utterly bummed about it. Here's my story →

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